Rebuilding slow, steady a month after Harrisburg tornado | GALLERY

Spirits remain high despite massive damage

HARRISBURG, Ill. - One month later, there's still plenty of visible damage from the deadly tornado that touched down before dawn.

Some homes with roofs torn off by the EF4 twister on Feb. 29 still sit virtually untouched, though the community's yards and streets are largely cleared of debris.

The city has started to recover, residents say, from the physical and emotional toll left by the tornado, which killed seven residents and left millions of dollars in damage. The two denials of federal aid by the Federal Emergency Management Agency certainly didn't help morale.

There are signs of rebuilding in the tight-knit community of about 10,000 people, too. Hammers and buzz saws echoed through the air Wednesday morning — proof that scores of contractors were hard at work repairing several homes, especially in the hardest-hit area of the city, which sits behind the city's Walmart.

"There was an initial shock. But now they're working on everything," said Janet Duke, owner of Durham's Hardware on the city's Main Street. "They call and want prices, trying to replace everything for the insurance company. They're coming in and getting things to (make) repairs."

And while she said she's surprised by the progress of the massive cleanup, there were plenty of people ready to step in while the community remained in shock.

"Within two days, they were hauling off (debris)," Durham said. "Constantly, from 6 o'clock in the morning to 6 o'clock in the evening, you saw trucks go by with big heavy pieces of metal, trash and trees."

Though the Walmart was bustling with customers Wednesday, there was hardly any sign of an adjacent popular strip mall that was flattened by the storm — just a concrete slab in its place surrounded by a chain-linked fence.

Across Highway 45, there are more signs of ongoing recovery. Sitting on a plot of land off Lillie Street, there's a new trailer with "Sold" still on a window. It belongs to Charles and Diana Turner.

Charles Turner, 71, was thrown about 40 feet from their destroyed trailer after the tornado picked up both him and the couple's bathtub. He suffered bruises and cracked ribs. On Wednesday, Thompson said it was good to have a home again and that he and his wife were doing "just fine" but rattled off a litany of tasks still needed to be done — a perfect metaphor for both how far the city has come, as well as how much work is still needed.

"We need to go around and re-level some of it, and adjust doors and take care of other things that need to get done," Turner said.

"Across there, there are some nailheads sticking up where they put the carpet down," Turner said, motioning toward where the home's kitchen met the living room.

Several Harrisburg residents said Wednesday that many of those whose homes were hit the hardest either plan on rebuilding on their property or moving somewhere else in the community.

"If you live in Harrisburg, by and large you live here because you want to live here," said Mary Sue Ewing, 62.

Ewing, whose home was not touched by the tornado, spent Wednesday afternoon with her husband, Joe, helping longtime friend Connie Frazier with a project. Though Frazier's home was rendered uninhabitable because of the tornado, the trio was across the street from the residence making sure the area's bluebirds have place to live.

A former president of the Harrisburg Evergreen Garden Club, Frazier is an avid bird-watcher, and the three spent the morning replacing one of the six bluebird houses on the grounds of the Shawnee Hills County Club destroyed a month ago by the tornado. Frazier said although there are still tough times due to the trauma caused by the tornado, she said the city is recovering with the help of thousands of volunteers.

"We're doing very well, and I think we can be proud of Harrisburg for the strength we've shown," she said. "From across the country we've had help. I had volunteers in my yard that were from as far away as Louisiana."

Frazier said it was important to start getting the houses back in the ground because the bluebirds have already been scoping out places to nest for about a month.

In fact, she said she saw some of them just a few days before the tornado.

Ewing hoped the new house has a positive effect on more than just the birds. The birdhouses have been overlooking the golf course for a quarter of a century.

"It's been the norm for a long time," Ewing said. "Not only do the bluebirds need it, but I think the people need to start doing things that seem more normal. Watching birds can be very soothing when you're going through a really traumatic time."